NFL Week 7 Preview and Predictions

Texans quarterback Matt Schaub needs to play much better this Sunday against the Ravens in order to help his team win. (Jeremy Brevard)

5. Arizona Cardinals (4-2) @ Minnesota Vikings (4-2) - 1:00 PM EST, FOX

Despite both these teams having two of the best records in the NFC, they both come into Sunday's match backsliding. After starting the season 5-0, the Cardinals have now lost to the Rams and Bills. Neither one is the scariest of opponents to say the least. They will have to look to get back on track with another quarterback change. John Skelton started the season, but was injured in Week 1. Kevin Kolb stepped in and played mostly well, but he has bruised ribs from last week. That means that Skelton is the starter once again. Regardless, the Cardinals need to move forward as much as possible.

The Vikings lost last week largely due to their inability to control Redskins rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III. Despite the loss, the Vikings offense continues to look better. Quarterback Christian Ponder is quietly playing very well this season. He is still a young talent full of potential. Running back Adrian Peterson may be getting older and more banged up, but he is still one of the best in the league. Young wide receiver Percy Harvin has emerged as a focal point of the team as well. He leads the NFL in receptions with 49.

Prediction: Vikings 20 Cardinals 16

4. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-3) @ Cincinnati Bengals (3-3) - 8:20 PM EST (Sunday), NBC

These two AFC North rivals come into their primetime matchup scuffling. The Steelers have a losing record due largely to injuries and their inability to close out road games. They should have been able to salt away wins over the Oakland Raiders and Tennessee Titans, but were unable to due to their lack of an established running game that had been missing starting tailback Rashard Mendenhall until recently. The Steelers need to get Mendenhall going to take some of the pressure off of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Big Ben has plenty of weapons, but he needs time to get them the football.

The Bengals come into Sunday night off losses to the Miami Dolphins and Cleveland Browns. In the Dolphins game, it was the offense that struggled; while in the Browns game, it was the defense that did. The one consistent between the two losses is that the Bengals were careless with the football throughout. In the two games, they had a combined seven turnovers, including five interceptions by quarterback Andy Dalton. He will need to be much more efficient against the Steelers defense.

Prediction: Steelers 27 Bengals 24

3. New York Jets (3-3) @ New England Patriots (3-3) - 4:25 PM EST, CBS

All four AFC East teams come into Sunday with a 3-3 record, but is the division's two fiercest rivals squaring off in Foxborough. The Jets went into last week's game against the Indianapolis Colts in need of a win. They turned in their best all-around performance of the season in a 35-9 rout. Running back Shonn Greene carried the heavy load picking up 161 yards on the ground and three scores. Quarterback Matt Sanchez threw two touchdown passes, but more importantly no interceptions. The Jets will need more of the same from both heading into a hostile environment Sunday.

The Patriots' three losses have come by a combined four points as they have struggled to close out games. This is surprisingly uncharacteristic of the Bill Belichick era. While the Patriots have utilized a more balanced offense this year with running back Stevan Ridley playing well, one has to think that at some Tom Brady is going to take over, like he did in the second half of a game against the Buffalo Bills earlier this year. With the Patriots seemingly lacking that killer instinct, Brady needs to step up and motivate his team to develop it.

Prediction: Patriots 31 Jets 20

2. Detroit Lions (2-3) @ Chicago Bears (4-1) - 8:30 PM EST (Monday), ESPN/WatchESPN

Detroit is finally back on track in their pursuit of the Bears, who are the NFC North leaders. The Lions ended a three-game losing skid with an overtime win over the Philadelphia Eagles last week. Their offense that dominated teams last season has simply been out of sync completely. In five games this year, quarterback Matthew Stafford has only four passing touchdowns compared to five interceptions. When your leading rusher, Mikel Leshoure, only has 196 rushing yards and one touchdown over that span, it compounds upon on already significant problem.

Other than a Thursday night loss at the Green Bay Packers, the Bears have quietly looked like one of the best teams in football. They could afford quarterback Jay Cutler to throw a few less interceptions (seven on the season), but the balanced running back tandem of Matt Forte and Michael Bush has worked well. The Bears defense has played solid as well. They have been particularly dominant against the run, leading the league in allowing only 65.8 yards per game on the ground.

Prediction: Bears 27 Lions 17

1. Baltimore Ravens (5-1) @ Houston Texans (5-1) - 1:00 PM EST, CBS

The Ravens come in playing solid football, but will have to find a way to win without two of their best defensive players. Linebacker Ray Lewis and cornerback Lardarius Webb have both suffered season-ending injuries. They will need players through the unit to step up to help fill those big shoes. Offensively, the Ravens continue to center around quarterback Joe Flacco and running back Ray Rice. Both played very efficiently in the team's win over the Dallas Cowboys last week.

The Texans will look to rebound from their first defeat of the season, a 42-24 loss to the Green Bay Packers. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers came out strong and the Texans never recovered. Quarterback Matt Schaub did not play very well as he threw two interceptions and failed to throw a touchdown pass. Furthermore, running back Arian Foster was limited to 29 yards on 17 carries. The defense is still figuring out life without All-Pro linebacker Brian Cushing. The Texans well need to play significantly better to have a shot at winning on Sunday.

Prediction: Texans 31 Ravens 27

College Football Week 8 Preview and Predictions

Florida quarterback Jeff Driskel will look to continue his success in Saturday's game against South Carolina. (Frederick Breedon)

5. #15 Rutgers (6-0) @ Temple (3-2) - 12:00 PM EST, Big East Network/ESPN3

At 6-0, Rutgers is off to their best start in six years. With two other Big East teams ranked and undefeated as well, the Scarlett Knights know that they need to keep winning if they hope to win the conference title and BCS bid. A big reason for their success has been their rock solid defense. The unit is anchored by senior linebacker Khaseem Greene. In last week's win over Syracuse, Greene had 14 tackles, three forced fumbles, one interception, and 1 1/2 sacks. Offensively, junior running back Jawan Jamison leads the Big East in rushing yards with 665 yards on 158 carries.

Temple is actually a very similar team to Rutgers with a strong defense and rushing attack. Freshman linebacker Tyler Matakevich has burst on the scene with 27.5 tackles the past two weeks. On the other side of the football, senior running back Montel Harris is looking like his old self. In his last two games, he has rushed for 275 yards and three touchdowns.

Prediction: Rutgers 23 Temple 13

4. #17 Texas Tech (5-1) @ #23 TCU (5-1) - 3:30 PM EST, ABC/ESPN2

Heading into last week, neither of these teams would have been on anyone radar for best games. However, Texas Tech destroyed West Virginia 49-14 and TCU routed Baylor 49-21. Suddenly, both teams are ranked and in the hunt for the Big 12 title. For the Red Raiders, it was quarterback Seth Doege who outshined Heisman frontrunner Geno Smith. Doege threw for 504 yards and six touchdowns in the game. It is important to note that one of his favorite targets, sophomore tight end Jace Amaro, is questionable. He will have an impact in the game one way or the other.

TCU has had to move forward after starting quarterback Casey Pachall withdrew from the school following his arrest for drinking and driving. His replacement, Trevone Boykin, played very well last week. He threw for 261 yards and four touchdowns. On the defensive side of the football, look for freshman defensive tackle Devonte Fields to have an impact on the game. He already has 6.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery on the season.

Prediction: Texas Tech 31 TCU 27

3. #6 LSU (6-1) @ #18 Texas A&M (5-1) - 12:00 PM EST, ESPN/ESPN 3D

LSU's staple continues to be its stellar defenses. This season is no exception. While there are many standouts from the unit, junior linebacker Kevin Minter has a combined 29 tackles the past two weeks. Offensively, the Tigers rely on their deep running back core. Last week, their main man was freshman Jeremy Hill, who rushed for 124 yards and two touchdowns.

Texas A&M is having a great season, but is still looking for that signature SEC win to make a statement that they are in the conference to compete. They have great opportunity on Saturday when they host LSU. When talking about the Aggies success this season, it is impossible to overlook the play of freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel. He is a true dual threat quarterback with the talent to take over any game. One of his favorite targets is fellow freshman Mike Evans. Evans has broken on to the scene in a big way as well.

Prediction: Texas A&M 20 LSU 16

2. #4 Kansas State (6-0) @ #13 West Virginia (5-1) - 7:00 PM EST, FOX

Kansas State keeps winning and moving up the rankings. When all is said and done though, the Wildcats go as senior quarterback Collin Klein goes. So far this season, he has been very good. Klein is a very balanced dual threat quarterback. He has over 1,500 yards and 17 touchdowns on the season thus far. In a close game, special teams could play a significant role. Kansas State sophomore kick returner Tyler Lockett is one of the best in college football. He averages over 30 yards a return and has one touchdown.

West Virginia's offense looked unstoppable. That is until last week when they looked just plain ugly in a blowout loss to Texas Tech. However, even when he struggles, senior quarterback Geno Smith plays quite well and doesn't make many mistakes. He still hasn't thrown an interception all season. Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey are playmakers. They are going to have to play like it for the Mountaineers to have success. Being at home, does give WVU a huge advantage.

Prediction: West Virginia 52 Kansas State 48

1. #7 South Carolina (6-1) @ #2 Florida (6-0) - 3:30 PM EST, CBS

South Carolina's schedule doesn't get an easier Saturday. Coming off a win over Georgia and their first loss of the season to LSU, the Gamecocks will look to keep their high level of play going against Florida on Saturday. However, they might have to do it without one of their best players. Running back Marcus Lattimore is questionable for the game with a bruised hip. That means that even more of the pressure might fall on quarterback Connor Shaw. He must be willing to step up as he is needed to in order for the Gamecocks to find success.

Florida has to be on an emotional high after the BCS rankings came out with them ranked #2 in the polls. The Gators have a very balanced offense. Senior running back Mike Gillieslee is as consistent a back as they come and is very good in the redzone. Sophomore quarterback Jeff Driskel is coming off a record-setting game against Vanderbilt. He is a dual threat danger at any time.

Prediction: Florida 20 South Carolina 17

Carpenter Leads Cardinals to Victory in Postseason Debut

Cardinals utility man Matt Carpenter hit a two-run home run in his first  at-bat of the postseason. (David J. Phillip)

The St. Louis Cardinals have a long history of unexpected postseason heroes. Tonight, they added one more player's name to that list. In his first at-bat of the postseason, utility man Matt Carpenter hit a two-run home run to give the Cardinals the lead for good.

As the game began, it appeared that this would be just another typical day where Carpenter rode the bench and helped fill out the roster. However, when Cardinals outfielder Carlos Beltran suffered a left knee injury running out a double play in the first inning, it was Carpenter who got called in to replace the injured veteran.

Carpenter wasted little time before making a huge difference. He came up to bat for this time with the San Francisco Giants leading 1-0 and two outs in the bottom of the third inning. Carpenter was set to face one of the best pitchers in baseball, Giants ace Matt Cain. He made full contact on a two-strike slider that soared deep into the crowd for a game-changing two-run home run.

The game lasted much longer after this play, but the Giants were never able to tie or regain the lead again. Carpenter's clutch hitting was vastly important to give the momentum and lead needed to help their bullpen successfully close out the game. He probably never even expected to play, let alone becoming the catalyst to bringing his team one step closer to a return to the World Series. You never discount the significance of a player on your team. They might just be waiting to have their Matt Carpenter moment of a lifetime when your team needs it the most.